Public Health Commons^™

Analyzing The Relationship Between Preeclamptic Severity And Placental Methylation, Mackenzie C. Maggio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Preeclampsia (PE) is a life-threatening hypertensive disorder in pregnancy (HDP) characterized by high blood pressure and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. PE poses significant risks to both maternal and child health. An incomplete etiopathogenesis, diverse disease heterogeneity, and limited intervention and detection strategies further exacerbate and perpetuate PE as a major public health concern. By assessing symptom severity of placental tissues from PE pregnancies and analyzing the DNA methylation differences, this thesis aimed to identify epigenetic variations contributing to disease heterogeneity. Using the publicly available dataset GSE 98224, differentially methylated region (DMR) analysis on placental samples (n=48) revealed increasing …

Preliminary Investigation Of Differences In Host Mitochondria Membrane Potential During Toxoplasma Gondii Infection, Bryan L. Ortega

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan with a broad host range of hosts, including various warm-blooded mammals, including humans. While infections can often be asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, they can pose significant risks to those who are immunocompromised, as well as pregnant women. Toxoplasmosis represents a significant burden on public health in the United States, with over 800,000 annual infections reported, often leading to severe complications such as symptomatic eye disease and congenital infections. Recent attention has developed regarding its potential association with human neuropathies such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and mood disorders. This project investigated differences in host …

Diet And Salivary Microbiome On Cardiovascular Risk And Glycemic Control In Participants With And Without Type 1 Diabetes: The Cacti Study, Tiantian Pang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been increasing drastically in the United States. People with T1DM are at a higher risk of developing diabetes-related complications, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Diet is one of the most modifiable factors and healthy eating could reduce CVD risk among individuals with T1DM. The current 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans focus on overall healthy eating patterns rather than individual foods and nutrients. A healthy dietary pattern or high-quality diet can be measured by diet quality indexes, and generally contains minimal ultra-processed foods (UPF). Although substantial evidence has linked poor diet quality …

Using The Genetic Counseling Skills Checklist To Characterize Prenatal Genetic Counseling, David A. Cline

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genetic Counseling relies on communication skills to help patients understand and adapt to a genetic disease or risk. However, little is known about which skills are most commonly used or the extent to which genetic counseling sessions vary. A novel process measure titled the "Genetic Counseling Skills Checklist" (GCSC) was developed in a prior pilot study and includes 8 broad categories each consisting of 5-8 skills. This study is the first to apply the final GCSC to characterize 20 mock prenatal sessions conducted by 5 genetic counselors (GCs) for 2 prenatal indications using 3 trained actors as patients. Two experienced …

Synthesis Of A Multimodal Ecological Model For Scalable, High-Resolution Arboviral Risk Prediction In Florida, Sean P. Beeman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

West Nile virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) represent the two greatest endemic arboviral risks to the state of Florida. Currently, no approved human vaccine exists for the prevention of either virus. In the absence of a vaccine, effective disease surveillance is paramount for public health. In Florida, WNV and EEEV sentinel chicken surveillance is conducted by mosquito control programs operated at the county, municipality, or special taxing district level. This program was implemented in 1978 following human outbreaks of St. Louis Encephalitis virus (SLEV) that occurred between 1959 and 1977, with initial sentinel coops placed in proximity …

Development And Validation Of An Isothermal Amplification Assay For Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, Mikayla D. Maddison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a neurotrophic alphavirus for which there is no effective treatment or vaccine for humans. Periodic outbreaks in the Eastern United States represent an ongoing public health problem; Florida serves as the reservoir for EEEV for the rest of the country. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the current gold standard for molecular diagnostic testing of the presence of EEEV in vectors. However, RT-PCR is technically complex and can be difficult for mosquito control districts to utilize. In order to provide a simple, cost-effective alternative for mosquito surveillance and control, a novel one step reverse …

Mechanisms And Mitigation: Effects Of Light Pollution On West Nile Virus Dynamics, Meredith E. Kernbach

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Light pollution, or the presence of unnatural light at night, is a pervasive and growing problem across the globe. While often pictured in urban centers, light pollution is far reaching and can affect seemingly safe and minimally developed environments. For example, agricultural communities with artificial lighting near facilities can generate such light pollution in rural areas. Further, streetlights and illuminated billboards along roads and highways can generate light pollution far from cities. Given how pervasive this anthropogenic stressor is, it is surprising that not much is known about how artificial light at night, or ALAN, affects humans or wildlife, especially …

Defining Codes Based On The Consolidated Framework For Implementation Research In The Context Of The Implementing Universal Lynch Syndrome Screening, Jasmine A. Burton-Akright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common hereditary cause of both colorectal cancer (CRC) and endometrial cancer (EC). Universal tumor screening (UTS) of newly diagnosed EC and CRC patients has been shown to be both an effective and economical approach to identify patients with LS and subsequently reduce future cancer s for patients and their family members. Despite its efficacy, LS UTS has not been consistently adopted across hospital systems and existing programs vary widely in their structure and execution. The Implementing Universal Lynch Syndrome Screening (IMPULSS) study aims to determine the critical factors necessary for successful implementation of LS …

The Distribution In Native Populations From Mexico And Central America Of The C677t Variant In The Mthfr Gene, Lucio A. Reyes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: To explore evolutionary hypotheses for the high frequencies of a substitution in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, in Mexican and Central American Indigenous populations.

Materials and methods: We obtained allele frequencies for the C677T variant in the MTHFR gene and ecological information for 37 indigenous samples from Mexico and Central America. We calculated Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and computed Fst statistics. We computed correlations between the samples' allele frequencies and ecological and geochemical variables.

Results: Many of the samples have extremely high frequencies of the T allele (q̄ = 0.62, median = 0.66). In this region, the frequency of the T …

Non-Invasive Sex Determination And Genotyping Of Transgenic Brugia Malayi Larvae, Santiago E. Hernandez Bojorge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lymphatic filariasis is a very painful and disfiguring helminth disease caused by the tissue nematodes Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori. This parasitosis is considered a Neglected Tropical Disease and it is a major public health burden for 72 tropical countries of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and South America. Despite the effectiveness of many control programs, there remains the need to develop new pharmacological agents to treat lymphatic filariasis, as most programs rely on a limited variety of drugs that are expensive, logistically difficult to obtain, and can lead to drug resistance. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic …

Evaluating The Effect Of Temperature On A Human Parasite And Its Intermediate Snail Host: Implications For A Changing Climate, Karena H. Nguyen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global climate change is impacting the emergence, re-emergence, prevalence, and incidence of infectious diseases worldwide, including parasitic diseases of humans (Blum and Hotez 2018). Neglected tropical diseases, defined as a group of parasitic diseases affecting developing countries in the tropics (Hotez et al. 2007), are of particular concern because these diseases occur in areas that are also expected to experience rapid population growth and agricultural development in the coming decades. As human population and food demand increase, the greater the likelihood of humans encountering intermediate hosts that either inhabit agricultural areas or are impacted by agricultural development, which will influence …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Influenza Type B In The Presence Of Vaccination: An Ecological Study, Lindsey J. Fiedler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of influenza type B in human hosts is a public health concern as we strive to minimize the disease burden in seasonal epidemics. Vaccination is considered the best defense against contracting influenza, and everyone over the age of 6 months is advised to get vaccinated before each season. The effect that vaccine-acquired immunity has on the evolution of influenza B remains unclear. In the U.S., vaccine-uptake is irregular across the states, and the differing coverages present an opportunity to study how vaccination influences viral evolution. This thesis analyzes the evolutionary patterns of influenza B in the …

A Retrospective Study Of The Opioid Epidemic And Fentanyl Related Overdose Fatality Cases In A Florida West Coast Medical Examiner District Population, Anne Terese Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Opioids are scheduled by the propensity for misuse and abuse with a high rate of dependency and risk of fatal overdose. Opioids can be divided into different classes, including, natural, synthetic, and semi-synthetic. Opiates are naturally occurring and come directly from the opium poppy plant; whereas the semi synthetics opioids are chemical modifications of the poppy plant. Synthetic opioids attach to the opioid receptor but contain no part of the poppy plant. The increased variety and frequency in opioid prescriptions contributed to an opioid epidemic in the United States which is still on going.

According to the CDC, the opioid …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Health Literacy And Dietary Practices Among College Students: A Test Of The Integrated Model Of Health Literacy, Alison B. Oberne

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Overweight and obesity continue to plague Americans and contribute to decreased quantity and quality of life. Americans of all ages experience overweight and obesity; however, increasing rates occur during young adulthood. Young adults develop dietary practice behaviors that persist into adulthood and can contribute to weight-related chronic diseases. Approximately half of all young adults are enrolled in college, and, approximately 38% of college students are either overweight or obese.

Dietary practices are health behaviors that can either increase or decrease risk for overweight and obesity. Much research has explored predictors of dietary practices among college students; however, there is a …

The Nutrition Transition Among The Andean Kichwas Of Ecuador, Vanessa Alicia Chee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The nutrition transition is a global phenomenon in which diets have become increasingly westernized and processed while lifestyles have shifted from labor intensive to sedentary, largely on account of the advent of technology, globalization n and urbanization. Despite the prevalence of this phenomenon, very little is known regarding how the nutrition transition has affected the risk of comorbid chronic diseases among indigenous Kichwas communities in Ecuador. Aims of this study are : 1) Identify specific health outcomes (such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol) associated with the lifestyle risk factors of the nutrition transition among the Andean Kichwas indigenous population; …

Identification Of Novel Hits Against, Ala A. Azhari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by obligate intracellular parasites of the genus Leishmania, including 20 species that are pathogenic to humans. Female sand fly is the known vector that can transmit the disease. Visceral leishmaniasis is the severe form of the disease that affects internal organs and can be fatal with inappropriate diagnosis or treatment. Leishmania donovani is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. Approximately 350 million in 89 countries are at risk of infection. Around 2 million new cases are reported annually with 500,000 of these are visceral leishmaniasis. Current drug therapies are inadequate due to their toxicity, high …

Angiostrongylus Cantonensis: Epidemiologic Review, Location-Specific Habitat Modelling, And Surveillance In Hillsborough County, Florida, U.S.A., Brad Christian Perich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasitic nematode endemic to tropical and subtropical regions and is the leading cause of human eosinophilic meningitis. The parasite is commonly known as rat lungworm because the primary host in its lifecycle is the rat. A clinical overview of rat lungworm infection is presented, followed by a literature review of rat lungworm epidemiology, risk factors, and surveillance projects. Data collected from previous snail surveys in Florida was considered alongside elevation, population per square kilometer, median household income by zip code territory, and normalized difference vegetation index specific to the geographic coordinates from which the snail samples …

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Targeted Herpes Zoster Vaccination In Adults 50-59 At Increased Cardiovascular Risk, Kathleen M. Glassner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Over the last twenty years the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) infection, also known as shingles, has been increasing among adults for unknown reasons. The economic burden of HZ is currently estimated at over $1 billion per year in the United States (U.S.) and is expected to increase as the susceptible adult population ages. HZ is caused by a re-activation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), chicken pox, and more than 95% of adults living today carry the virus with a lifetime risk of 1 in 3 for developing HZ. In 2006 the FDA approved a vaccine for the …

Evaluation Of A Microsphere-Based Immunoassay (Mia) In Measuring Diagnostic And Prognostic Markers Of Dengue Virus Infection, Jason H. Ambrose

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infections with dengue viruses (DENV) constitute both a global problem as well as locally in Florida. DENV comprise four distinct serotypes of single-stranded RNA viruses and belong to the family Flaviviridae. DENV are among the most medically important arboviruses in the world and cases may currently exceed 400 million per annum. Additionally, dengue established its first recorded endemic transmission cycle in the state of Florida in over a half century, first within the Florida Keys during 2009-10 followed by an unrelated outbreak in Martin County in 2013. The clinical profile of DENV infections ranges from a mild febrile illness …

Distribution Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers Among Demographic Categories, Giorvanni Merilis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants widely used within the United States in various products such as plastics, electronics, textiles and furniture. With an increase in production and usage, PBDEs have recently emerged as a contaminant of concern. Due to their chemical structure, PBDEs have the propensity to bioaccumulate in mammals. In fact, elevated PBDE concentrations have been recorded in human breast milk. Due to the potential widespread exposure to PBDEs, this study investigates human blood concentrations of PBDEs generated through the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Through the use of statistical modeling, a comparison of mean …

The Effect Of Antigen Polymorphisms On Serological Antibody Detection Assays Based Upon The, Kristi M. Miley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Onchocerca volvulus is a filarial parasite transmitted to humans by female Simulium spp. black flies. Infection with this parasite can cause blindness and severe skin disease among humans in Africa and the Americas. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay serological testing of OV-16 antigen is a diagnostic tool for determining effective elimination of the parasite. Programs typically rely on OV–16 ELISA to evaluate the progress towards interruption and/or elimination of disease by mass drug distribution of ivermectin and vector larvicidal control efforts. As elimination grows closer, monoclonal antibody positive controls for OV-16 ELISA become important to develop for Onchocerca testing due to the …

Development Of Tools For Stable Transfection In The Human Filarial Parasite Brugia Malayi Via The Piggybac Transposon System, Johan Chabanon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Brugia malayi is one of three species of nematode known to cause lymphatic filariasis (LF) in humans. LF infects over 120 million people, causing debilitating disease. Various global programs have been launched in the past 20 years to eliminate LF. These programs have greatly scaled up the resources and efforts allocated to halting the transmission and reducing disease burden. Only a few drugs are used to treat LF, and resistance is thus a devastating possibility. Research aimed at identifying new drug targets could therefore prove essential in elimination of LF.

Genetic manipulation of B. malayi has been limited to transient …

A Novel Abi-Domain Protein Controls Virulence Determinant Production In Staphylococcus Aureus, Stephanie Michelle Marroquin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A major factor in the success of Staphylococcus aureus as a pathogen is its vast arsenal of virulence determinants and, more importantly, the tight and precisely- timed regulation of these factors. Here we investigate the product of the S. aureus gene, SAUSA300_1984, encoding a putative transmembrane protein. This as yet uncharacterized protein belongs to the Abi (abortive infection) family, which are commonly annotated as CAAX-proteases, and are significantly understudied in prokaryotes. In S. aureus the disruption of SAUSA300_1984 results in a drastic reduction of proteolytic and hemolytic activity, as well as diminished pigmentation. This phenotype appears to be mediated through …

Association Between Folate Levels And Preterm Birth In Tampa, Florida, Carolyn Heeraman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of perinatal mortality and morbidity and poses extensive economic liability. The rate of preterm births globally is approximately 11.1%, and in the US, the preterm birth rate has been estimated to be 12-13%. Folate and B₁₂ requirements increase during pregnancy as a result of increased cell division to accommodate maternal and fetal growth; inadequate levels can result in placental abnormalities and thus present implications for preterm birth.

Objective: To investigate the association between red blood cell (RBC) folate and B₁₂ concentrations with the risk of preterm birth.

Methods: Study …

The Effects Of Personal And Family History Of Cancer On The Development Of Dementia In Japanese Americans: The Kame Project, Adam Lee Slotnick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increasing number of studies have shown an inverse association between a personal history of cancer (PHC) and dementia/Alzheimer’s disease (AD), both in those using dementia/AD as the outcome or cancer as the outcome. This is the first study to examine this potential association in Japanese Americans; and to examine family history of cancer and its association with incident dementia. Also, the association between these two diseases in the parents of participants were analyzed.

The Kame Project, conducted from 1992 through 2001 in King County, Washington was a population-based, prospective cohort study of older Japanese Americans. Conversion to incident dementia …

Evaluation Of Pulmonary Function Among Workers Engaged In The Manufacture Of Hydraulic Fracking Ceramic Proppant, Humairat H. Rahman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Workers involved in hydraulic fracking processes are exposed to various types of chemicals and dusts in their workplaces, such as proppants, which hold open the fissures created in the fracking process. Recently, ceramic proppants have been developed that may be less hazardous to workers than traditional proppants. Pulmonary function testing of workers producing ceramic proppant was used to assess the potential inhalation hazards of ceramic proppant. Male workers (n = 100) from a producer of ceramic proppant were evaluated with pulmonary function test data collected and evaluated using The American Thoracic Society (ATS) acceptability criteria. A comparison group was selected …

Human Health Risk Characterization Of Petroleum Coke Calcining Facility Emissions, Davinderjit Singh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Calcined coke is a high quality carbon material produced by calcining green petroleum coke. Calcining is the process of heating green petroleum coke in a kiln to remove excess moisture, extract all remaining hydrocarbons, and modify the crystalline structure of the coke into a denser, electrically conductive product. The final product, calcined coke, is primarily used to make carbon anodes for the aluminum industry and recarburizing agent for industries such as the steel industry. If not appropriately controlled, the calcining process could lead to excess production of particulate emissions from either handling or storing of raw coke, or from the …

An Assessment Of Elementary School Children’S Diet And Physical Activity Levels, Karen Tamara Serrano Arce

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With prevalence rates of obesity among children and adolescents steadily rising, childhood obesity and overweight has become a public health concern. Publically funded elementary schools are in a unique position to provide children with opportunities regarding the promotion of physical activity and healthy nutritional behaviors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct exploratory research to investigate the dietary habits of elementary school students enrolled in four Hillsborough County Out-of-School Time (HOST) care programs. Methods: The study utilized a quantitative, non-experimental study design. The instruments that were used in this research included a new questionnaire that was titled “All …

Use Of Spirometry For Medical Clearance And Surveillance In Occupations Requiring Respirator Use, Ushang Prakshbhai Desai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Medical certification of workers for respirator use is an important activity of occupational medicine health professionals. Spirometry is a diagnostic tool to evaluate respiratory distress/insufficiency that may affect respirator use. In this study, we analyzed the pulmonary function data of 337 workers from different occupations which required medical evaluation to wear a respirator. The American Thoracic Society and National Fire Protection Association criteria were used to evaluate employees. Of 337 workers who were cleared for respiratory use on the basis of medical questionnaires for respirator compliance, 14 (4.15%) failed to pass respirator compliance on the basis of NFPA criteria and …

Molecular And Phenotypic Studies Validating The Role Of The Ecdysone Receptor In The Human Parasite Brugia Malayi, Amruta Mhashilkar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Filariasis and onchocerciasis are debilitating diseases affecting 120 million people globally. The massive socio-economic impact of these diseases energized the international community to declare a goal of eliminating filariasis 2020. This resulted in a dramatic increase in the efforts to eliminate filariasis and onchocerciasis, employing a strategy of mass drug administration (MDA). However, these programs rely upon the small arsenal of drugs. This leaves these programs vulnerable to failure in the face of developing resistance and local intolerance to the current drug regimens. Thus, new drugs against these infections are critically needed. A homologue of the ecdysone receptor (EcR), a …